Sitting at his house, a day after the rape and murder of his daughter, a junior doctor at the Kolkata hospital where she worked, a sobbing 62-year-old recalled how he would, at times, not have the money to buy her the pomegranates she loved when she was little.
“We were not financially sound when my daughter was small. Then, my business took off. We moved to Kolkata and built this house. The name plate outside bears only her name — because she proved everyone wrong by becoming a doctor on her own. Her mother and I were extremely proud of her. Now, we just want our only child back,” he cried.
At R G Kar her colleagues stand united in their demand for a thorough investigation. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
The doctor’s mother says she last spoke to her daughter at 11.15 pm on August 8. The mother told The Indian Express over telephone, “She had taken chicken for dinner that day (August 8). I called her at 8 am (on August 9) but she did not take my call. I assumed that she was busy at work. Little did I know that my daughter was dead.”
A relative says the doctor got admission in a medical college in Malda district but ended up choosing one that was closer home. She got her MBBS degree in 2018, he adds. She joined R G Kar Hospital for her postgraduate training in 2022.
On August 9, her body was discovered in the fourth-floor seminar hall of R G Kar, where she had allegedly been raped and murdered in the early hours of August 9. Kolkata Police have arrested Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer at the hospital, in connection with the incident.
At R G Kar, as they stand united in their demand for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death, her colleagues recall her fondly, describing her as a “proactive, talkative and friendly colleague who never had a single argument with anyone”.
Two of her colleagues say she was known for her “exceptional” counselling skills at the hospital. “Her interactions with patients were always empathetic, making her the first choice each time someone wanted to counsel a family. If a patient’s relative wanted advice or was anxious and if she was on duty, she was almost always sent to speak to them. She was a natural,” they say.
Despite her demanding schedule as a resident doctor, she kept a diary, where she shared her thoughts, experiences and aspirations. “She was also active on social media, but her account was deleted after her death to prevent misuse of her personal photos,” her colleagues say.
A fellow postgraduate trainee (PGT) says he would often tease her for her beautiful handwriting. “I would often jokingly tell her that her handwriting was unbecoming of a doctor,” he recalls tearfully.
The two PGTs first met in 2022. “She was the only woman PGT in our batch of nine. We bonded over our shared passion for medicine and became friends after she assisted me during a medical procedure involving water extraction from a patient’s chest,” he recalls.
He says he gets enraged each time he remembers that she was murdered in the very same room where “we had attended a class together and shared our tiffins just a day earlier (on August 8)”. He remembers hearing about a murder in the seminar room the day her body was discovered, on August 9. “And then I learnt that the victim was my friend,” he says.
According to her colleagues, she spent her breaks in her department’s sleep study room until about two months ago. “After renovation work started in that room, she and other doctors on night duty started spending their breaks in the seminar room. There is hardly any PGT at R G Kar who has not taken a break or a nap in the seminar room during their residency or long shifts,” says a colleague.
Another colleague expressed his anger over her body’s photo being shared on social media. He asks, “Does she not deserve a dignified death?”
According to her colleagues, she spent her breaks in her department’s sleep study room until about two months ago. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
Till the news of her death, her fellow PGT says he was looking forward to Durga Puja festivities at her house in October this year. For the last two years, he says, she would get bhog khichuri (prasad or religious offering) for us during Durga Puja. “She always organised Durga Puja in the garage next to her house. She was planning a celebration this year too,” he says.
Calling the doctor a “sincere and nice student”, one of her MBBS teachers, who is a former R G Kar student herself, says she met her “inconsolable” parents on raksha bandhan (August 19). “After her MBBS, she started preparing for her postgraduate training in medicine. In her second attempt, she got into R G Kar, which is one of the best medical colleges in Kolkata. She was extremely intelligent and had a bright future. To imagine that she was raped and murdered at her place of work place, which happens to be my alma mater, is unimaginable,” says the teacher.
Back in her locality, two local shopkeepers who saw her grow up say they are yet to come to terms with her death. “O ebhabe mara gelo, aami bhabteo parchi na (I cannot imagine that she died in this manner),” says one of the shopkeepers.
A grocery store owner says her face would “light up” as soon as someone called her doctor.
Meanwhile, a relative told The Indian Express, “Her parents had plans to get her married after Durga Puja. I remember how her father used to drop her for coaching on his bicycle. Just six months ago, he bought a car so she could commute more easily. Even in their worst dreams, they had never imagined losing her like this.”
Two of her colleagues say she was known for her “exceptional” counselling skills at the hospital. She was a natural,” they say. (Express photo by Partha Paul) 
At R G Kar her colleagues stand united in their demand for a thorough investigation. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
According to her colleagues, she spent her breaks in her department’s sleep study room until about two months ago. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
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